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Available
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Publication
FABER & FABER (2012), Edition: Main
Description
An extraordinary and poignant memoir for all musicians, spiritual thinkers and musical laymen by Paul Robertson, first violinist of the Medici String Quartet.
User reviews
LibraryThing member niaomiya
Well, this book was disappointing, to say the least. After I heard it billed as "When Breath Becomes Air" for musicians, I was incredibly excited to read it. I'd read Paul Kalanithi's luminous memoir and loved it. Just the thought of reading something like that but geared toward musicians (and I am
Alas, this book wasn't anything like "When Breath Becomes Air" (and few books are). Whereas Kalanithi's book was a gorgeously written book about life and death, "Soundscapes" was a disjointed conglomeration of descriptions of medical issues, the challenges of relearning how to live after a traumatic medical situation, and smatterings of arcane ruminations on classical pieces of music. All of it was strangely devoid of emotion.
As a violinist, I know who Paul Robertson is. I am familiar with the renowned Medici String Quartet. When I read his book, I was baffled as to how he could describe music and his relationships with other musicians in such an unemotional way. Music is inherently emotional and very personal. You'd never know it by reading this book.
I made it through 35 pages and finally had to give up. I was tired of hearing about Robertson's time in the hospital, moving to another hospital, how putting his violin to his chin was enough to exhaust him for an entire day. I get it. But I want to be emotionally moved by all of this. I think maybe Robertson is simply not a writer, that he doesn't know how to engage the reader. Whatever the reason that the book was so staid and, basically, boring, there's no excuse for it. This should have been a fascinating book. How utterly disappointing.
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a musician) had me so excited I couldn't sit still.Alas, this book wasn't anything like "When Breath Becomes Air" (and few books are). Whereas Kalanithi's book was a gorgeously written book about life and death, "Soundscapes" was a disjointed conglomeration of descriptions of medical issues, the challenges of relearning how to live after a traumatic medical situation, and smatterings of arcane ruminations on classical pieces of music. All of it was strangely devoid of emotion.
As a violinist, I know who Paul Robertson is. I am familiar with the renowned Medici String Quartet. When I read his book, I was baffled as to how he could describe music and his relationships with other musicians in such an unemotional way. Music is inherently emotional and very personal. You'd never know it by reading this book.
I made it through 35 pages and finally had to give up. I was tired of hearing about Robertson's time in the hospital, moving to another hospital, how putting his violin to his chin was enough to exhaust him for an entire day. I get it. But I want to be emotionally moved by all of this. I think maybe Robertson is simply not a writer, that he doesn't know how to engage the reader. Whatever the reason that the book was so staid and, basically, boring, there's no excuse for it. This should have been a fascinating book. How utterly disappointing.
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LibraryThing member ghr4
In Soundscapes: A Musician's Journey Through Life and Death, Paul Robertson has crafted a deeply introspective memoir that can be appreciated on several levels. Robertson was a renowned violinist and leader of the Medici String Quartet. In 2008 he suffered a ruptured aorta and died on the operating
At its essence, this is Robertson's ode to music, and in that regard he provides great insights: his earliest attraction to music and the violin; his approach to playing and the quest for perfection; the techniques and quirks of his instructors and mentors; the formation of the Medici Quartet and his leadership successes and failures; the selection of pieces to play; the inherent qualities of the works of Beethoven, Bach, and others; mathematical aspects of music theory; etc.
But Soundscapes eventually circles back to the NDE and how it profoundly influenced the remainder of his life. Robertson passionately explores the meaning of his NDE visions, how they relate to his personal relationships and key events in his life, and the philosophical and psychological beliefs to which he gravitated late in life.
While a certain darkness shades much of Robertson's story, the are some sparkling moments of humor too. And as the narrative draws to a close, he relates some illuminating spiritual myths and fables which poignantly bring together the themes of music, life, and death.
Paul Robertson died of heart disease in 2016, one month before the publication of this book.
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table before being resuscitated and falling into a coma for many weeks. The chronology of this near death experience (NDE), including vivid descriptions of his often harrowing visions, opens the book with great impact and immediacy. After recounting his slow and painful recovery from the brink of death, the book settles into a the narrative of his life, though the NDE, referenced periodically, hangs ominously above.At its essence, this is Robertson's ode to music, and in that regard he provides great insights: his earliest attraction to music and the violin; his approach to playing and the quest for perfection; the techniques and quirks of his instructors and mentors; the formation of the Medici Quartet and his leadership successes and failures; the selection of pieces to play; the inherent qualities of the works of Beethoven, Bach, and others; mathematical aspects of music theory; etc.
But Soundscapes eventually circles back to the NDE and how it profoundly influenced the remainder of his life. Robertson passionately explores the meaning of his NDE visions, how they relate to his personal relationships and key events in his life, and the philosophical and psychological beliefs to which he gravitated late in life.
While a certain darkness shades much of Robertson's story, the are some sparkling moments of humor too. And as the narrative draws to a close, he relates some illuminating spiritual myths and fables which poignantly bring together the themes of music, life, and death.
Paul Robertson died of heart disease in 2016, one month before the publication of this book.
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LibraryThing member nmele
After a normally fatal medical crisis, Paul Robertson lay in a coma for three weeks and experienced during that time a series of visions or near death experiences. He retells his visions as illuminating his life, which he also describes from early childhood onward. It helps to have some knowledge
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of classical music, but Robertson carefully gives readers who may not be familiar with the pieces he describes and analyzes. The more I read this book, the more I lamented the still fairly recent death of Robertson, who reveals himself herein as a deeply intelligent, deeply compassionate and self-critical adult, despite what he portrays as a largely selfish life up to middle age. I was sorry to finish this book because I felt sad to say farewell to Robertson. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmoj
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but it sounded so intriguing that I had to request it from the Early Reviewers.
Soundscapes: A Musician's Journey Through Life and Death was a fascinating story of Paul Robertson, a musician who has a near-death experience but it's so much more than life
The book reads like a piece of music - you can hear the flow of the music throughout the story giving us an idea of how vital it was not just to his life but ways that we can consider music. This made me want to read more about the work he did in his later life with his research on music and the brain.
Soundscapes: A Musician's Journey Through Life and Death was a fascinating story of Paul Robertson, a musician who has a near-death experience but it's so much more than life
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after death. It's the story of one man's journey, its about his growth and experiences in music and the development of his faith. The book reads like a piece of music - you can hear the flow of the music throughout the story giving us an idea of how vital it was not just to his life but ways that we can consider music. This made me want to read more about the work he did in his later life with his research on music and the brain.
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LibraryThing member Boito_2
Upon reconsidering Paul Robertson's book for these notes, it was clear just how much it complies with contemporary aspects of the "memoir." The material covered basically falls into one of the two types associated with the genre: (1) recounting of experiences, places, people; and (2) musings on
Some of the writing for the first category was evocative and interesting, and fortunately this type of material occupies the more space than the second. I read his reminiscences about some of the musicians in his life, Sir Clifford Curzon in particular, with great interest and wish he had devoted many more words to such topics. Of course, as it is his memoir, Robertson isn't compelled to mention or describe other people, but those he did include typically give the strong impression that the author permitted—even invited—his ego to obstruct potential comprehension of the people and ideas in his life. His proclamations tend toward the absolute, and the few times he steps back, acknowledging his arrogance or high-handedness, it's usually to attain a better angle for patting himself on the back for being "objective."
Probably the best example of this shortcoming is his writing about the Medici Quartet, which he cofounded in 1971. Although they continued performing for more than 30 years, I had to refer to the brief chronology in the book's back matter to discover this fact. The only real discussion of the quartet is an uncomfortably mean-spirited axe grinding, where he gives his side of the explanation for the group's demise in the early 2000s. The three other members no longer agreed with his dictates, and his unwillingness to compromise his high artistic standards—as though his colleagues were possessed of anything less—punched the hole in the keel. His misunderstood suffering-artist stance is underlined by sniping, childish criticism, and name calling, and this is how readers are introduced to people who must have been key figures in Robertson's professional life, but to whom we've been given no opportunity to get to know.
The second type of material, however, frequently embarrassed me. Although the first few coma reveries/dreams promisingly intrigued me, their intermittent inclusion throughout became distracting as they either revealed little about Robertson or, having been acquired through a spiritual/psychological filter, revealed more than he probably intended. His initiation into a "a very private 'esoteric' school that taught and followed various ancient traditions and teachings" could be cut and pasted into/from numerous memoirs by converts to any of the thousands of groups seeking "higher mind." And I actually appreciated it for showing from whence much of the unfocused, new-agey musing arose, but I do not buy that as sufficient reason for his grand universal pronouncements about why "we" cling to life, or where "we" must look to attain "meaning." In my opinion, Robertson's greatest gaffe— his breathy explication of Beethoven's quartets and J. S. Bach's violin sonatas and partitas—stems from the same seeming entitlement. This being memoir, however, not only does the author have every right to 'splain this to his readers however he sees fit, we bear no requirement to agree with such notions.
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whatever happened to filter into the writer's consciousness during the manuscript's preparation.Some of the writing for the first category was evocative and interesting, and fortunately this type of material occupies the more space than the second. I read his reminiscences about some of the musicians in his life, Sir Clifford Curzon in particular, with great interest and wish he had devoted many more words to such topics. Of course, as it is his memoir, Robertson isn't compelled to mention or describe other people, but those he did include typically give the strong impression that the author permitted—even invited—his ego to obstruct potential comprehension of the people and ideas in his life. His proclamations tend toward the absolute, and the few times he steps back, acknowledging his arrogance or high-handedness, it's usually to attain a better angle for patting himself on the back for being "objective."
Probably the best example of this shortcoming is his writing about the Medici Quartet, which he cofounded in 1971. Although they continued performing for more than 30 years, I had to refer to the brief chronology in the book's back matter to discover this fact. The only real discussion of the quartet is an uncomfortably mean-spirited axe grinding, where he gives his side of the explanation for the group's demise in the early 2000s. The three other members no longer agreed with his dictates, and his unwillingness to compromise his high artistic standards—as though his colleagues were possessed of anything less—punched the hole in the keel. His misunderstood suffering-artist stance is underlined by sniping, childish criticism, and name calling, and this is how readers are introduced to people who must have been key figures in Robertson's professional life, but to whom we've been given no opportunity to get to know.
The second type of material, however, frequently embarrassed me. Although the first few coma reveries/dreams promisingly intrigued me, their intermittent inclusion throughout became distracting as they either revealed little about Robertson or, having been acquired through a spiritual/psychological filter, revealed more than he probably intended. His initiation into a "a very private 'esoteric' school that taught and followed various ancient traditions and teachings" could be cut and pasted into/from numerous memoirs by converts to any of the thousands of groups seeking "higher mind." And I actually appreciated it for showing from whence much of the unfocused, new-agey musing arose, but I do not buy that as sufficient reason for his grand universal pronouncements about why "we" cling to life, or where "we" must look to attain "meaning." In my opinion, Robertson's greatest gaffe— his breathy explication of Beethoven's quartets and J. S. Bach's violin sonatas and partitas—stems from the same seeming entitlement. This being memoir, however, not only does the author have every right to 'splain this to his readers however he sees fit, we bear no requirement to agree with such notions.
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LibraryThing member GermaineShames
A deep, probing look at illness, music, synchronicity and other mysteries.
LibraryThing member vpfluke
This is an engrossing but maybe terrifying read. Robertson died because of a rupruted aorta and came back to life begrudgingly, but remarkably. This is story of his recovery, but more because of his music life. Most of his music life is told in flashbacks. He was not a religious man, but he found
Robertson was a prodigy, and he felt destined to greatness. Manoug Parikian was his primary teacher, but he was influenced by Clifford Curzon. The Medici Quartet was formed early in his career. He was firm leader who believed in rigorous and exhaustive rehearsals. The endgoal was ensemble playing, but he felt his leadership was front in every way. Early on the Quartet specialized in Ravel and Janácěk, but turned around in doing all the string quartets of Beethoven. And then he found Bach a goldmine of musicality.
He explins the Pythagorean gap necessitates a certain flexibility in intepretation. So there is a tension of perfection and the tempering.
He discovered Gurdjieff and the Study Society. He got to know and Dr Roles helped temper Robertson.
The Medici Quartert was semi-disbanded before his near death experience. And the author might have had a furher edit 3rd edit of his final remarks. But the story was told with a passion, and was very insightful.
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dreams and visions, and prayer was his lifeline. There were hellish dreams, and his life was in the balance.Robertson was a prodigy, and he felt destined to greatness. Manoug Parikian was his primary teacher, but he was influenced by Clifford Curzon. The Medici Quartet was formed early in his career. He was firm leader who believed in rigorous and exhaustive rehearsals. The endgoal was ensemble playing, but he felt his leadership was front in every way. Early on the Quartet specialized in Ravel and Janácěk, but turned around in doing all the string quartets of Beethoven. And then he found Bach a goldmine of musicality.
He explins the Pythagorean gap necessitates a certain flexibility in intepretation. So there is a tension of perfection and the tempering.
He discovered Gurdjieff and the Study Society. He got to know and Dr Roles helped temper Robertson.
The Medici Quartert was semi-disbanded before his near death experience. And the author might have had a furher edit 3rd edit of his final remarks. But the story was told with a passion, and was very insightful.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016
Physical description
5.71 inches
ISBN
0571331882 / 9780571331888
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 787.2092 |